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“It’s that serious?” Chase spoke up.
Ben’s good humor faded as he nodded. “Unfortunately, I agree with Peter’s assessment that something will happen to ensure Dinari wins the race.”
“Another spinner or wall of water?” I guessed.
“That wouldn’t work,” Grant spoke up as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Those stopped each of their races. What needs to happen has to be kept under wraps or the whole thing will be canceled.”
“So it’s anybody’s guess,” I chimed in.
“But this time we’ll have eyes looking not on the tract, but on the perimeter,” Ben pointed out. “I was informed that such controlled elemental magic needs the purveyor to be close at hand, and he’s probably holding a device to better ‘steer’ the power. We’ll find him when Dinari starts losing the race.”
“That still doesn’t tell us who’s driving today,” Mouse pointed out.
Grant sighed and turned to him. “You are.”
Mouse’s eyes widened and he pointed at himself. “Me? Why me?
“Because you’re too short to spot anything that isn’t ten feet tall in the crowds,” Grant pointed out.
“Yeah, but I could get through them a lot easier than a goon,” Mouse countered.
“You said you wanted to drive in one of the races,” Chase reminded him.
Mouse shrugged. “Yeah, but I didn’t know somebody was trying to fix them.” He paused and narrowed his eyes at his two compatriots. “That’s it, isn’t it? You two don’t want to be behind the wheel when this mess goes off.”
“Nonsense,” Grant insisted as he draped an arm over Mouse’s shoulders. “We’re just trying to give you a chance at winning the whole thing for us. Is that really that wrong?”
“It is when you’re trying to save your own skins,” Mouse quipped.
“We’ll get you ready for your drive and you’ll be fine,” Grant insisted as he led the reluctant Mouse out of the room.
Chase had a relieved smile on his face as he turned to us. “I guess we’ll see you at the tract.”
Ben nodded. “We’ll be there shortly.” Chase bowed his head and left the room.
“I should be heading back, too,” Peter spoke up as he smiled down at Aria. “Care to join me on the drive?”
“Always, but after business,” Aria agreed before she looked at us. “Are you coming downstairs soon? As the buyer, you still need to give the okay for the fliers.”
“We’ll be down in a moment,” Ben promised her as he nodded at the entrance. Aria shrugged and exited the room with Peter
“I suppose that’s my cue to leave, as well,” Sofia mused.
“And please close the door on your way out,” Ben requested.
A knowing smile lay on her lips as she left us alone, making sure to close the door behind herself.
Ben wrapped one of his hands around mine and leaned forward to catch my eye. “Alone at last.”
I felt my heart tighten as I looked down at his bandaged self. “Ben, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for-”
He pressed a finger to my lips and shook his head. “My mother was right. It wasn’t your fault.”
My eyebrows crashed down. “How long were you listening to us?”
Ben chuckled as he dropped his hand. “Long enough to agree with my mother. No one is at fault except those who are responsible for causing this mess. You merely tried to stop them, and in your panic you lost your focus.”
I hung my head and bit my lower lip. “What if I lose my focus again?”
